Kyrgyzstan: The rise and fall of a sex webcam magnate Daniel Azhiyev came to prominence during the COVID-19 crisis, when his philanthropy made him something of a minor folk hero. Ayzirek Imanaliyeva Oct 27, 2023
Tajikistan pleads poverty, spends money on unneeded luxuries A panhandling president is unaccountable to his Western benefactors. Apr 26, 2023
Birth and marriage rates increase in Nagorno-Karabakh The increases have reversed a demographic decline that the territory has seen since the pandemic and war with Azerbaijan. Lilit Shahverdyan Jul 25, 2022
Kyrgyzstan: Authorities bristle at Black Death research Officials suspect a newly published paper on the 14th century plague is a plot to kill the country's tourism industry. Ayzirek Imanaliyeva Jun 17, 2022
Kyrgyzstan’s donkeys-to-China trade courts controversy, corruption Religious mores, politics and the coronavirus have cast a shadow over one of the few Kyrgyz products China buys. Aigerim Turgunbaeva, Chris Rickleton May 30, 2022
“I avenged my father”: A saga of crime and bloodshed in the highlands of Kyrgyzstan The criminal underworld reaches across generations. Ayzirek Imanaliyeva May 16, 2022
Kazakhstan: Labor unrest troubles another Chinese project Kazakh officials know they cannot be seen siding with a Chinese company. Apr 15, 2022
The rough-tongued poison-prescriber overhauling Kyrgyzstan’s healthcare system Beishenaliyev enjoys a close relationship with the president. Ayzirek Imanaliyeva Apr 11, 2022
Amid spike in COVID, Georgia drops passport system The government said the system was useless against the Omicron variant, but critics accused them of pandering to anti-vaxxer sentiment. Giorgi Lomsadze Feb 8, 2022
Uzbekistan: Get a jab, win a car Tashkent’s vaccination campaign is getting a shot in the arm. Feb 2, 2022
Armenia introduces new restrictions as COVID again rises The country has belatedly introduced a COVID pass system to enter restaurants and bars as the vaccination rate remains at just 28 percent. Ani Mejlumyan Jan 27, 2022
A belated return to Georgia’s dance floors Tbilisi’s world-famous nightclubs were the country’s last businesses to reopen following the COVID lockdown. But it took a confrontation with the authorities to make it happen. Giorgi Lomsadze Jan 14, 2022
Kazakhstan: Taxmen slammed for unlawfully using COVID app data The government has ordered the fiscal inspection service to withdraw letters accusing businesses of evading taxes. Almaz Kumenov Dec 24, 2021
Kyrgyzstan: Pakistani students demand protection from assaults Victims of crime say they are not properly treated by police. Ayzirek Imanaliyeva Dec 23, 2021
Georgia introduces COVID passports amid record high numbers Similar systems have been used around the world to encourage vaccinations. But under Georgia’s, you may be better off not being vaccinated at all. Tornike Mandaria Nov 30, 2021